[Omnirizon]

There's but one flaw in the premise of your argument,
and that, sir, is that you are a(n)...

aww, forget it. I already got in trouble once for that line.


so you are mature, stable, and confident enough for that. but other people blow their lid when you attack them/their arguments. I don't really think their is a difference between people and their arguments, and there's not a difference between a person and what that person does; I guess that's my only point.

I would say that the only ad hominem (a _personal_ attack) that is possible is relating a person's beliefs to some unrelated action; and from my experience that's pretty accepted in most academic debates (not that they are for any reason a great standard, just saying). There are words in science that are more accepted than others for using as insults, but in the end saying so and so is incompetent is no different than saying that he is an idiot, or a stupidhead, or whatever. And dealing with these types of insults and oppositions are just life. The only ad hominem is when people say such and such's ideas are worthless because they like to sleep around, or are gay, or something. Certainly promiscuity or sexuality can influence a person's ideas, but you're attacking the idea on the basis of an insignificant relationship to that person's ability to create contextually sound ideas.

the other type of ad hominem is limiting peoples freedom to act, my other point. How would you like it if someone locked this thread in the middle of our conversation?